My career has been FAB thanks to Thunderbirds’ Gerry

Steve Begg was given his first big break by Gerry Anderson

A Scottish special effects film expert has paid tribute to his mentor, Gerry Anderson.

Steve Begg, originally from Edinburgh, has worked on the visual and special effects for some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters including Skyfall, Casino Royale and Batman Begins and was given his first job in the industry by Mr Anderson almost 30 years ago.

Mr Begg said: “He gave me my first big break which has led me to work on Skyfall the latest James Bond film as well as Casino Royale.

“As a kid I was always very inspired by his work such as Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. It helped me get the courage to show him my amateur stuff in the 1980s, and I subsequently got a job with him on Terrahawks in the early 1980s.

“He inspired a lot of people to go on and win Academy Awards in films such as Alien and Superman. He was very supportive – he would talent spot and encourage people. He effectively built a film school for that sort of work, an unofficial school.

“He was very charismatic, the hub or centre of creativity of any film he was working on.

“He will leave behind a massive legacy, there are a lot of people who wouldn’t be around in this industry if it wasn’t for him and that is on a worldwide scale.”